Birds of Fight or Flight
by SecretiveC
Summary: In which Percy has to endure the horrors of flying.


Birds of Fight or Flight

Percy's POV:

I'm staring out a filthy window, one of fifty on this death trap. It's crazy to think that if one of these panes of glass was to shatter, the air pressure would decrease, resulting in death. Sure we had the masks, but I didn't think they'd help if I started to hyperventilate. I already had a loss of breath, and we hadn't even taken off yet. I had jumped the one inch gap between the loading tunnel and the plane, certain I would fall through if I stepped on it. And Annabeth had decided to punish me by choosing a seat in the twenty-third row. My hands were clammy as I buckled my seat belt and tightened it until I couldn't breathe. Annabeth had taken the window seat, 'Better her than me,' I had thought to myself, sliding into the seat next to Ben. Hell, my three year old son was more excited to be flying than I was scared of it.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please make sure your seat belts are securely fastened. We'll be taking off shortly." The stewardess announced over the intercom. They ran through the proper safety instructions, before buckling in themselves. With minutes we were rolling out on the tarmac, waiting for Air Traffic Control to clear us to go. I only knew this because of the information Annabeth was spewing to Ben who was _quite_ interested. I gripped the arm rest, squeezing my eyes closed as the plane began to roll forward, gaining in speed. The acceleration and gravity pushed me into my seat back. The rumbling of the landing gear ceased, making it known that we were airborne. After what felt like a millennium, I cracked an eye open, looking to see if we had straightened out. I snapped my eyes closed again, after taking in our horizontal position. Well, that's what it looked like to panicked Percy mode. I finally came to terms that I want going to die, at least for the moment, and reopened my eyes. I had become accustom to the position we were in when the plane realigned. My stomach sank to my feet, and my heart rate was racing, quite certain I was going to die.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude. The seat belt sign has been turned off, but please remain in your seat unless necessary." The pilot announced. The stewardess came down the narrow aisle, asking if we wanted a complimentary drink. I declined, knowing my stomach wouldn't be able to handle it. I only accepted the peanuts because Ben was crazy about them. He was curled up in his mother's lap, his hair being stroked as she read her book. I struggled to read what the title said, my dyslexia kicking in. "What's it about?" Annabeth looked up from her book, smiling at me gently. "Oh, I didn't realize you were awake," she grinned at the pointed glare I sent at her. She knew I hated flying, knowing I didn't trust the pilot enough to even sleep on a plane. She shook her head and stretched her hand out to me, Ben nestled under it. I grasped her hand, running my thumb over her knuckles. We sat in peace for a few minutes, before the plane rolled with turbulence. I could feel the color drain from my face, and my grip on Annabeth's hand tightened, making her laugh at me. Ben groaned and rolled over, sitting up slightly at the turbulence. "Was that?" He mumbled, gripping his blanket tightly as the plane rolled again. "The winds just moving the plane a little, it's okay bud." Annabeth soothed, stroking his brown locks gently. "Oh, 'm hungry," he replied snuggling back down on her lap. "You're just like your father. Perce, you'll have to get that." She was referring to the snack bag that was in the overhead compartment. I gulped, that meant standing up, and with the plane rocking like this I knew I could die on this solo mission. I frowned but readied myself for the quest. I lent towards Annabeth, wanting a kiss. She glared at me, "Percy, it's just standing up and getting the goldfish. You won't die." I pouted, wanting a kiss despite the nonexistent death risk. She sighed and pecked me on the lips, pulling back almost immediately, with Ben remarking, "Eww!" With my new found strength, I quickly unbuckled and stood up, opening the compartment. I must have unzipped it all at least twice before I caught sight of the bag. I fumbled with it, trying to yank it out from underneath the pile of toys. I utter once more, the plane rocking sending me backwards almost landing on an old lady's lap. I apologize profusely, before gathering the now lose bag of goldfish and taking my seat again. Annabeth's eyes glittered with amusement as she took the bag of crackers from me. Even I cracked a smile when Ben started giggling like crazy.

* * *

I was more than happy to get off the suffocating metal death trap that society seems to think is safe. I would have kissed the ground, but that's been classified as a 'bad example'. Plus Ben was in my arms with both his and my backpack slung over my shoulders. Annabeth's bags were in my free hand while we waited for her to get our bags. "All set?" I asked when she returned with our two bags. She nodded and took her bags back and I grabbed the biggest suitcase, putting Ben down to toddle ahead of us. I wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "You survived, congratulations!" She said grinning up at me. I just smiled, rolling my eyes at her antics. "Grandpa!" Ben squealed, running into Mr. Chase's arms. He chuckled and lifted him up into the air, spinning in circles. "Annabeth," he said, the grin on his face grew larger seeing his daughter. Annabeth stepped forward hugging her dad and kissing him on the cheek. "Dad," she said wearing an equally sized smile on her face. "And Percy, I hope you didn't act like a turkey on the plane," Fredrick chuckled at his joke, while Annabeth and I groaned at the Thanksgiving pun. This was due to be an interesting holiday.

**So...I've realized I've become the authors that I hate for not updating. So inadvertently I hate myself...Anyways, I've been putting off writing for quite some time now, so I took the liberty of writing...on a plane. School's starting soon so who knows when I'll update again. I'll try harder though, I promise. **

**Review Please**

**-**_SecretiveC_

_8/6/14_


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